The rise of the personalised wedding cake topper

by Lucy Moore | 26 November 2019

Weddings on Female First

Wedding cakes are now more of a statement of a couple’s uniqueness rather than a generic element to the day. We talk to Carla Bolt who creates custom made wedding cake toppers to find out why cakes with personality are in vogue!

Why are cake toppers so important to the look of the whole wedding cake?

All wedding cakes are lovely and can incorporate colour schemes but a topper creates more focus on the cake, a talking point amongst guests and an ever-lasting keepsake of the special day.

Why are people going down the personalised route more with their wedding cakes rather than the traditional designs?

I believe that people want something that represents themselves, their lives, hobbies and interests. Ready-made cake toppers do not offer this option whereas I can offer a service that no matter what someone wants, I can provide. This year, for example I have made a topper of an amputee and a bride in a wheelchair, before personalised cake toppers these couples would not of been able to use or find a suitable topper.

What is the most popular wedding cake topper people ask for?

The most popular topper is Bride & Groom only, but lots of people like to add their children & pets. Due the range of toppers I have previously done, people are now making their toppers even more unique by adding props. I have made Vegas signs, rugby goal posts, vans and even pumpkins.

How long before a couple gets married should they look into getting a wedding cake topper organised?

I would generally say at least a year especially if the wedding date is in the summer months.

If you are making a topper what information do you need to create it?

Upon booking I email out a long list of requirements, including dress photos, suit details, eye colours, hairstyles, flower arrangements and heights. These are required six weeks prior to the wedding date.

How do people present their ideas to you of what they want for their topper?

Most brides are specific in what they are after and I have always found that I can make it as requested. Some brides have a general idea but cannot visualise what they want, I would then go through different options & examples of other work to come up with something that they are totally happy with.

What is your process when you create a topper for a couple?

After receiving all the details and photos, I create a base bride & groom, I then use different shades of clay to mix together to make exact colours to make their outfits, after adding their heads I roll out hundreds of strands of clay to create their hair styles. I bake the toppers in the oven and use small gems to make up their tiaras and jewellery. I put the toppers together on a base. All my toppers are hand crafted no moulds are used.

Please can you tell us how you got into making wedding cake toppers.

I used polymer clay as a child making fridge magnets and small items of jewellery. When my son was born four years ago I had nothing to match his nursery with his name on so I ordered some clay and made up a small plaque with his name and a few animal characters. I made a few for family and friends but had lots of clay left over so when a family wedding came up I decided to make a bride and groom as a gift. This proved to be very popular and I have gradually built up my wedding business over the past three years and have now made over 100 wedding toppers.